Who needs the B1 certificate for Italian citizenship, and who is exempt

The rule in one paragraph

Since December 2018, people applying for Italian citizenship by marriage (article 5 of Law 91/1992) or by residence (article 9) must show that they know Italian at level B1 or higher of the Common European Framework¹. They prove it when they file the application, with either a qualification from an Italian school or a certificate from a recognised certifier¹. The rule covers applications filed from 4 December 2018².

Who needs it

• Spouses of Italian citizens applying by marriage, in Italy or abroad¹.
• Residents applying for naturalisation by residence, including the newer routes added in 2025: descendants of an Italian citizen by birth after two years of legal residence, and people born in Italy after three years of legal residence. These are all article 9 applications, so the B1 rule applies to them^3,1.
• EU citizens (for example Romanians) and holders of a family-member residence card (carta di soggiorno as the family member or spouse of an Italian or EU citizen). The Ministry says they must still prove B1⁴. British citizens with post-Brexit cards must too⁴.

The 2025 citizenship law (Decree-Law 36/2025, converted by Law 74/2025) did not change the language requirement⁵.

Who does not need the certificate

People applying by marriage or residence do not need a language certificate in four situations. Two are exemptions written in the law, one comes from a 2025 Constitutional Court ruling, and the fourth is not an exemption but another way to prove B1: an Italian school qualification.

1. You hold an Italian EU long-term residence permit (exempt by law)

Holders of the permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo do not need the certificate¹. Details that are easy to miss^4,6:

• The permit must have been issued by Italy. A long-term permit from another EU country does not count.
• An older permesso CE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo counts only if it was issued on or after 9 December 2010, the date the Italian language test for that permit became compulsory.
• A permit or card for family reasons does not count.

How you prove it: you give the details of your currently valid permit in the application².

2. You signed the integration agreement, accordo di integrazione (exempt by law)

People who signed the integration agreement under article 4-bis of the Immigration Act do not need the certificate¹. The Ministry explains that this mainly concerns people who entered Italy through family reunification and can show it with the certificate issued by the Prefecture's immigration office (Sportello Unico)⁴. It applies to people living abroad too⁷. You give the details of the agreement in the application².

3. You cannot learn the language because of age, illness or disability (exempt by court ruling)

In 2025 the Constitutional Court ruled that the rule was unconstitutional where it did not exempt applicants with serious limitations in their ability to learn a language due to age, illness or disability, certified by a public health facility⁸. The Ministry adds that a certificate from your family doctor (medico di base) is not enough⁴. If this may apply to you, ask your prefecture or consulate which certificate they accept before you file.

4. You have an Italian school or university qualification (proof instead of a certificate)

The law lets you prove B1 with a qualification from an Italian school instead of a certificate¹. It counts if it was issued by an Italian public or officially recognised (paritario) school, in Italy or an Italian school abroad, from the lower secondary diploma (terza media) upwards, and was obtained in Italian^4,9. A secondary diploma or a university degree counts. A diploma from a foreign school does not, and neither do regional vocational-training certificates⁴.

How you prove it: for a public institution you self-certify the details; for a private or paritario institution you provide a certified copy².

Routes the B1 rule does not cover

The language requirement applies only to grants under articles 5 and 9¹. So, by the wording of the law:

• Recognition by descent (iure sanguinis) is not covered: the law sets no B1 requirement for it. Confirm the documents you need with your consulate.
• People born in Italy who declare they want citizenship at 18 (article 4, paragraph 2) are not covered today. A bill in Parliament would add them, which confirms they are not covered now¹⁰.
• Children who become Italian together with a parent follow another article and are not covered.
• Applications filed before 4 December 2018 are not covered².

Common misunderstandings

• "I have lived here for years, so I'm exempt." Years of residence alone do not exempt you. The long-term permit does, if it is Italian and, for old CE permits, issued on or after 9 December 2010.
• "I'm an EU citizen, so I don't need it." EU citizens must prove B1 like everyone else⁴.
• "My course certificate says B1." Only certificates from the recognised bodies count, or a qualification from an Italian school^1,4. Consulates write that other certificates will not be accepted^11,12.
• "I'll send the certificate later." The proof is due when you file¹. Applications without it are rejected², though a Ministry circular quoted by one prefecture says you can file again straight away¹³.

If you do need a certificate

The Interior Ministry recognises five certifiers: the Università per Stranieri di Siena (CILS), the Università per Stranieri di Perugia (CELI), the Università Roma Tre (CERT.IT), the Società Dante Alighieri (PLIDA) and the Università per Stranieri "Dante Alighieri" di Reggio Calabria⁴. Some older official pages list only the first four⁷. The certificate can also be obtained through a CPIA (public adult-education centre)⁴.

• See which certificate to choose and the full guides to CILS B1 Cittadinanza, CELI 2 i, PLIDA B1 and CERT.IT B1.
• How to submit it: you upload a scan in the online application^14,9. For a certificate from a public body (the universities) you can self-certify it; for one from a private body (such as the Dante Alighieri) you bring the original and a copy to the appointment^2,15. Abroad, consulates ask for the original and make a certified copy for a fee (Buenos Aires: €10)^16,12. Some consulates accept only the final certificate, not a provisional result: São Paulo asks for the definitive certificate with its QR code⁶.

What may change

Two bills were pending in Parliament when we checked. Neither is law.

• A.C. 2124 would remove the exemptions for long-term permit holders and integration-agreement signers, and extend the requirement to people born in Italy. It was being examined in committee, with hearings in September 2026¹⁰.
• S.1450, a government bill, would remove the route for spouses living abroad. According to Senate records we could only partly verify, it had been assigned to a committee but its examination had not started¹⁷.

We re-check these pages regularly; the date at the top shows the last check.

Where to check your own case

• In Italy: your prefecture's citizenship office, and the Interior Ministry's application page¹⁴.
• Abroad: the citizenship page of your consulate. Examples: São Paulo⁶, Rio de Janeiro¹¹, Buenos Aires¹⁶, Casablanca⁷, New York¹².

Frequently asked questions

Do I need the B1 certificate for Italian citizenship by marriage?

Yes, unless you are exempt (for example, you hold an Italian EU long-term residence permit or signed the integration agreement) or you prove B1 with a qualification from an Italian school obtained in Italian. Check with your prefecture or consulate.

Does the long-term residence permit exempt me from B1?

Yes, if it is an Italian EU long-term permit. An older CE long-term permit counts only if issued on or after 9 December 2010, and permits for family reasons or from other countries do not count.

Do I need B1 for citizenship by descent (iure sanguinis)?

The law's language requirement covers only applications by marriage and by residence, so it does not apply to recognition by descent. Confirm the documents you need with your consulate.

Are EU citizens exempt from the B1 requirement?

No. The Interior Ministry says EU citizens, and holders of a residence card as the family member of an EU or Italian citizen, must still prove B1.

Can a medical condition exempt me from the language certificate?

Yes, since the Constitutional Court's ruling 25/2025, if a public health facility certifies serious limitations in your ability to learn the language due to age, illness or disability. A family doctor's certificate is not enough.